Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad leaves game with lower-body injury

Evan Rodrigues was also forced to leave the game early. Florida Hockey Now‘s George Richards reported that it looked like Rodrigues injured his ankle, while Ekblad is suspected of having a knee injury.

Ekblad has already missed time this season, as he was placed on long-term injured reserve after just three games when he suffered a groin strain on Oct. 17.

The 28-year-old missed one game last month with another lower-body injury, and has played just 46 games this season, scoring four goals and 13 assists over that time.

Ekblad has been prone to injuries for most of his 10-year career, having only played a full season twice, during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 campaigns. The former no. 1 overall pick apparently played with a broken foot, among other injuries, during the Panthers’ run to the Stanley Cup Finals last season.

While it is too early to tell what the extent of his injury is, losing Ekblad for an extended period of time will hurt a team that took big swings heading into the NHL Trade Deadline, making it obvious the team has expectations of making a making a deep run in the playoffs.

In 671 career games, Ekblad has scored 115 goals and 231 assists, including 14 points in 40 playoff appearances. The Windsor, Ontario native is in the seventh year of an eight-year contract he signed with Florida in July 2016, which carries an AAV of $7.5 million.

The Panthers (43-17-4) are battling the Boston Bruins for the top spot in the Eastern Conference and the race for the President’s Trophy. At the time of this writing, they are second in the Atlantic Division, one point back of the Bruins.